Congress Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh has said that he is doubtful that the ‘one nation, one election’ bills will be passed in Parliament. Talking to reporters in Agar Malwa district on Saturday night, Singh also denied the allegations against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of pushing and shoving BJP MPs on Parliament premises on Thursday. The two ‘one nation, one election’ (ONOE) bills, including one requiring an amendment in the Constitution, lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections and were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after a fiery debate.

 

The Lok Sabha on Friday referred the two bills on simultaneous polls to a joint committee of Parliament (JPC). To a question on the ONOE bills, Digvijaya Singh said, “The JPC has been constituted and I don’t think that it will be passed.” On Thursday, an FIR was registered against Rahul Gandhi at Parliament Street police station following the BJP’s complaint, accusing him of physical assault and incitement after MPs Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput were injured. The Congress has strongly rejected the claim, alleging that BJP MPs pushed Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and ‘physically manhandled’ Gandhi. Asked about the accusations against Gandhi of ‘pushing and shoving’ the BJP MPs, Singh termed them as completely false.

 

“This is absolutely wrong. There was pushing and shoving between BJP leaders,” the former state Chief Minister claimed. “One BJP MP fell on another. both were injured. The one who fell said that Rahul Gandhi was standing in front of him. If he was standing in front, could he have pushed him?” he asked. Notably, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat recently expressed concern over the resurgence of several temple-mosque disputes and said certain individuals, after the construction of Ayodhya Ram temple, seem to believe they can become leaders of Hindus by raking up such issues. To a question on Bhagwat’s statement, Digvijaya Singh said, “If we talk about such persons who wanted to become leaders by talking about Hindu-Muslim issues then the biggest proof in front of them is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Why he doesn’t make him (Modi) understand?” Bhagwat is only delivering statements but “why he keeps silent when excesses are committed against Muslims,” the Congress leader claimed. To another question, Singh said such statements of Bhagwat are positive, but he should stop the organisations associated with Sangh. “Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal are their organisations (associated with Sangh). Why doesn't he stop them?” the Congress leader asked.